


The Pact

by F1_rabbit



Series: Winter Warmers 2019 [2]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Advent Calendar, Drabble Collection, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 4,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21684322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_rabbit/pseuds/F1_rabbit
Summary: Five years ago, Marcus, Jo, Stoffel, and Kevin all made a drunken pact to meet up on Christmas day, but since graduating they've all lost touch. Will they find their way back to each other?
Relationships: Esteban Ocon/Lance Stroll, Lando Norris/Max Verstappen, Marcus Ericsson/Kevin Magnussen/Jolyon Palmer/Stoffel Vandoorne, Paul Di Resta/Nico Hulkenberg
Series: Winter Warmers 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1563157
Comments: 34
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I wrote all of this in November, and yet it's still taken me five days to get round to posting it!
> 
> I will hopefully post a chapter a day, if I forget, feel free to give me a nudge :D

“What time does your flight get in, honey?”

Marcus paused, he’d been dreading this conversation, and he hadn’t figured out a nice way to tell his mum that he wasn’t coming home for Christmas.

“I’m spending the holidays with friends.” Marcus blurted out, preparing himself for a telling off.

“That sounds lovely, sweetie.”

“You’re not mad?”

“You’re a grown up now, if you want to spend Christmas with your friends, you should do that.”

“I’ll be home in the new year.”

“Let us know what time your flight gets in and we’ll pick you up.”

“Thank you.”

“Love you lots.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Jo, are you okay driving on Christmas day because we won’t all fit in one car.”

“Jo?” Will nudged Jo, and he dropped his phone, flinching as it landed on the glass coffee table with a thwack.

“Sorry?”

“Are you okay driving on Christmas day because we won’t all fit in one car?”

“Umm...” Jo paused, but he couldn’t delay this any longer.

“I’m not going to be here on Christmas day.”

“You could have given us more than two days notice.” Will sat back, waiting for an explanation, and Jo couldn’t think of anything that didn’t obviously sound like a lie.

So, he told Will the truth.

“Long ago, I made a pact with friends that we’d all meet up on Christmas day, five years after we’d graduated.”

“You’ve known about this for five years, which means you definitely could have told us before now.” Will sniggered, and Jo gave him a playful nudge.

“Mum is going to freak,” Emmy said, and Jo froze, unaware his sister had been sitting there the whole time.

“You know I love you both...” Jo smiled, and Will snorted in laughter.

“Fine, we’ll tell mum, but we want all the details afterwards.”

“Deal.”


	3. Chapter 3

The phone line crackled, and Stoffel cursed the poor mobile reception as he waited for his parents to pick up.

“Hi? Stoffel?”

He couldn’t tell which of his parents were speaking, the line hissing and echoing as he strained to hear them.

“Dad?”

“How’s the project going?”

“Good, but I won’t be able to make it home for Christmas.” Stoffel didn’t like lying, but this was the first time he was spending the holidays somewhere other than home, and he wasn’t quite ready to explain.

“Promise you’ll at least take the day off.”

“I will.”

“Love you lots.”

“You too.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Remember the guys I lived with at university?”

“Yes.” Britt sipped at her coffee, looking at Kevin with a grin, and he couldn’t help but blush.

“So, we’re having a reunion this Christmas.”

“That’s lovely sweetie. Are you inviting them here?”

“No, we’re meeting at our old student union.” Kevin left out the part where they hadn’t actually talked about this in five years, a drunken plan hatched on graduation night.

He wasn’t even sure if the others would show up, but he had been thinking about this for years, and he just had to see who else showed up.


	5. Chapter 5

The plan was simple, drive down to the university a day early, which would give him time to relax and see what had changed in Bristol.

Jo had a hotel room booked, and it was big enough for the four of them. If the others needed a place to stay, and he wondered why he hadn’t been in touch before with them to ask, but he hadn’t spoken to them in a few years now.

They’d all been so busy with their new jobs, and he was sure that he was the only one who remembered their silly drunken pact.


	6. Chapter 6

“I’m sorry, sir, there’s no reservation under that name.”

Stoffel compressed his lips, so that he couldn’t say something he’d regret, and he took a deep breath before speaking.

“Is there another flight leaving for London today?”

The cheery flight attendant typed away, clicking and clicking, her smile fading as she worked away.

“I’m sorry, sir, the next available flight is Saturday.”

“That’s five days from now.”

“Are there flights to anywhere in England? Scotland would do.”

“I’m sorry, Christmas is always a busy time of year.”

Stoffel slunk away, wondering how he could possibly make the meetup now.

“Fuck.”


	7. Chapter 7

“I’m sorry, sir, but all the flights are cancelled due to the weather.”

“It’s Norway, it must snow here all the time.” Kevin smiled, but the young woman behind the desk stared at him unblinking, seemingly unaware of the concept of a joke.

“It’s not the snow that’s the problem, it’s the...”

Kevin stopped listening as the woman droned on about atmospheric pressure and its effects, he didn’t care about that, he just had to figure out a way to get to England, and fast.

He could drive there, but it would take days.

Or, he could get a ferry.


	8. Chapter 8

Jo had made it most of the way to Bristol, when it had started snowing.

Hard.

He thought he could just keep driving, but the snow got heavier until the car said no more.

The wheels spun, compressing the snow into ice, and no matter how much he revved the engine, the car wouldn’t move an inch.

He was stuck.

*

He called the recovery service, but it took over an hour just to get through.

“It’s going to take a while, there’s lots of people stuck in the snow.”

“Just wait in the car.”

*

Six hours later, Jo was cold, and he wanted to scream with joy when he heard a big engine getting closer.

He could see the snow clearing from his window, and he rolled it down, the icy air a shock to his already cold body.

“You must be frozen.” The Canadian accent was clear, and Jo was just glad to see another human being.

“Yes.”

“The snow is too deep to dig you out right now, but I can give you a warm meal and a bed for the night.”

“Thank you.” Jo took his hand, and he helped him climb out the window.

“No worries.”


	9. Chapter 9

Stoffel had asked every airline if they had a flight to anywhere in Britain, and they were all fully booked.

He was about to admit defeat when he saw the sign for hire cars, and his brain did a bit of quick maths, if he left now, he could drive there by Christmas day.

Grabbing his bag, he followed the signs, only to realise that the hire car places were in the other terminal.

Waiting for the shuttle bus was the strangest kind of torture, and he tapped his foot, wondering why he was so desperate to make this meeting.


	10. Chapter 10

Kevin had found the local port, but he had another problem.

Cargo ships only.

But that wasn’t going to stop him from getting on a ship to England.

He headed for the cafe where all the crew were warming themselves with endless cups of coffee, and a hearty soup.

It took him ten minutes to find someone heading to England, and less than five minutes to flirt his way on to the ship.

“I’m Kevin.” He flashed his cheekiest most angelic grin, the one that always got him what he wanted.

“Nico, nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s all mine.”


	11. Chapter 11

Jo rubbed his hands together, the blood returning to his fingers was painful, and they were bright pink from the shock.

“It’s not far now, and my boyfriend should have warm soup waiting for us.”

Jo didn’t miss the moment of hesitation before Lance said boyfriend, and he made small talk, asking about how long they’d been together and how they met, hoping to reassure his knight in shining armour who saved him from freezing to death.

*

The smell of warm soup had Jo’s stomach rumbling, and he rushed to take his shoes off, following Lance to the kitchen.

“I rescued this one from a side road.”

“Hi, I’m Esteban.” He shook his hand, the warmth still painful to his ice cold hands.

“Jo, nice to meet you.”

“Sit, I’ll get the soup.”

Esteban ladled out the most delicious smelling soup, and he opened the oven to reveal warm garlic bread that made Jo’s mouth water.

*

Jo ate quickly, and he felt rude for wolfing it down.

“You are an amazing cook.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you work as a chef?”

Esteban snorted in laughter, and Jo smiled in confusion.

“Sorry, I’m a mechanic, we run a garage together.”

“That’s awesome.”


	12. Chapter 12

Stoffel walked quickly to the car hire office, and he didn’t miss the crowd of people all with same idea.

He walked faster, but when he opened the door to the office, he saw he was too late.

“Do you have a reservation?”

“No.”

“I’m sorry, sir, all the cars are booked out.”

“Fuck.” Stoffel covered his mouth, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry.”

He was about to leave, when he heard people speaking Dutch, in Spain.

Standing out of the way, Stoffel looked around, and he saw a tall dark haired guy, with his short blond friend.

“What if we don’t make it in time?” Short guy looked sad, tears welling up.

“I promise that I will get you home to Bristol for Christmas.” Tall guy leant down for a kiss, and he looked so cute with his boyfriend.

But that wasn’t what interested Stoffel.

“Excuse me, did you say Bristol?”

“Yes, why?”

“That’s where I need to go, and there’s no hire cars left.”

Short guy looked at his boyfriend, and they had a silent conversation, before nodding in agreement.

“You can come, but I get to pick the music.”

“I’m Stoffel.”

“Max.”

“Lando.”

“Nice to meet you.”


	13. Chapter 13

The captain, Paul, didn’t look pleased to have Kevin on his ship, but they were leaving now and arriving tomorrow, and Kevin wasn’t leaving this ship until they got to England.

“Hello, stowaway.”

“I promise you won’t notice me.” Kevin flashed Paul his angelic smile, but that only seemed to make things worse.

“We’re down a couple of kitchen staff, he can have their bed for the night.”

Paul nodded, his frown turning into a scowl as he glanced at Nico.

“Fine, but he can clean a few dishes while he’s here.”

“Thank you, Paul.”

“It’s captain.”

“Thank you, Captain.”


	14. Chapter 14

Marcus made himself comfy on the flight, enjoying the nice hot chocolate that the flight attendant had brought him as he dozed off to a comedy heist film.

It was actually a film that he was in, not that anyone would ever recognise him, since he was the stunt driver.

He woke up for the main meal, a tasty curry that left him full and sleepy again.

Waking up with a smile on his face, he was glad to see that they’d landed without him even noticing it, and he was looking forward to seeing his old uni friends again.


	15. Chapter 15

Marcus’s taxi dropped him off at a nearby hotel, and he opened his phone to show them the booking reservation, when he realised he’d booked the wrong day.

He’d booked a room starting on the 25th, not the 24th.

“Hi, I think I’ve booked the wrong date by accident, is there any chance you have a free room?”

“Give me a minute and I’ll check for you.”

“We’ve got a room that no-one’s checked into yet, if they’re not here by six, it’s all yours.”

Marcus glanced at his watch, 5.15pm.

“You can wait in the restaurant.”

“Thank you.”

*

Fifty minutes later, Marcus was full from a large and tasty meal, and the receptionist had come to get him, so that he could check into his room.

The room was a decent size, and he wondered what happened to the person who had originally booked this room.

He took a nice long warm shower and wrapped himself up in the fluffiest of dressing gowns, before snuggling into bed.

The film selection was good, and he watched a cheesy romantic comedy, leaving him dreaming of what could have been if only he’d stayed in touch with the others.


	16. Chapter 16

Jo thanked his hosts for their kindness, and they drove him back to where his car had gotten stuck.

They almost didn’t find it, it was buried so deeply by the snow.

“I’ve got shovels in the back,” Lance said, but Jo knew that even with the three of them digging, they weren’t getting the car out today, and he had three hours left before he was supposed to be at the meeting point.

He knew that he wasn’t too far away, and he knew that Lance and Esteban had already been so kind to him.

“I need a favour.”


	17. Chapter 17

Max and Lando were nice companions, but they were so touchy feely that Stoffel was blushing on their behalf, wishing that he didn’t understand Dutch or English so he didn’t have to hear all the pet names they called each other.

Stoffel was staring as they made out in a petrol station cafe, so brazen with their love.

“Never seen two guys kissing before?” Lando laughed, and Stoffel blushed.

“Yes, but not since uni.”

Max snorted in laughter, and Stoffel knew there was a story coming.

“That’s how we met.” Max leant in for another kiss, Lando looking so proud of himself, and Stoffel couldn’t understand why he felt a twinge of jealousy.

“Are you going home for Christmas?” Max asked, and Stoffel shook his head.

“I’m going to meet three old uni friends, we drunkenly agreed to meet on Christmas day, five years after we graduated.”

“Wow.”

“Just friends…?” Lando leant in, grinning in anticipation.

“Well… we had some fun in uni, but we all kind of lost touch after we graduated.”

“But you still love them?” Lando rubbed his hands together in glee, and Stoffel’s thoughts all fell into place, making sense of the unease he’d felt.

“Yes.”


	18. Chapter 18

“Thanks for sweet talking the captain for me.” Kevin smiled, dragging his eyes over Nico as he leant against the wall, knowing he looked gorgeous while doing it.

“It’s no problem.” Nico fidgeted with his glasses, before running his fingers through his luscious blond hair.

“I’d be more than happy to repay the favour.” Kevin licked his lips, his eyes locked on Nico’s considerable bulge, and he fluttered his eyelashes so that Nico couldn’t miss what he was offering.

“I’m in a relationship with Paul.” Nico pointed to his wedding ring, but that had never stopped Kevin before.

“He can join us too.” Kevin flashed his most devilish grin, but Nico’s smile faded.

Kevin saw someone move out the corner of his eye, and he turned to see Paul standing by the door, his lips compressed as though he was scared of what might come out of them.

“Are you hitting on my husband?”

Kevin opened his mouth, before shutting it again, knowing there was nothing he could say to make this situation better.

“It’s not what it looks like?”

Nico snorted in laughter, before mumbling his apologies to Paul.

“First land, and you’re leaving this ship, stowaway.”

“I’m sorry.”


	19. Chapter 19

“I agreed to meet my old friends from uni on Christmas day, five years after we graduated, I don’t even know if they’ll show up, but I miss them and I would do anything to see them again.” Jo blurted it all out, knowing that it sounded weird.

“When and where are you meeting them?”

“Midday, at the student’s union.”

“It’s going to take a couple of hours, even with the plough, but we should just about make it.”

Lance and Esteban looked happy to be going on an adventure, and Jo felt relief flood through his body.

“Thank you.”


	20. Chapter 20

“Bugger, the motorway is closed.” Lando exhaled deeply.

The car came to a stop in a sea of rear lights and people angrily honking their horns.

“Where are we?”

“Bristol, well, just on the edge of town.”

Stoffel pulled his phone out, checking how far it was to the university.

“It’s only a couple of miles, I should be able to walk it.”

“It’s not safe.”

“The junction is just over there, and since there’s no traffic on it, I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Lando bit at his lip.

“Yes.”

“Take care.”

“Thanks for the lift, and Merry Christmas.”


	21. Chapter 21

“Where am I?”

“Not my problem.” Paul pointed in the direction of the door, and Kevin didn’t fancy being hauled off by the police, so he left.

The smattering of snow told him it was cold, but nowhere near as cold as Norway, and as he trekked towards what he hoped was the exit of the port, he saw a sign saying Southampton.

It wasn’t far from Bristol, but it was way too far to walk, and he knew that there wouldn’t be any public transport on Christmas day.

So, he headed for the motorway, hoping to hitch a lift.


	22. Chapter 22

“Thank you so much for the lift.”

“We want all the details.” Esteban winked at him, and Jo promised them that he would keep them informed.

It felt strange to know that there were people rooting for him, rooting for them to all meet again, as though there was some invisible force pushing them all back together again.

Jo took a breath as he rushed up to the student union building, his breath hanging in the air as he rubbed his hands together.

His heart was pounding as he turned the corner, wondering if anyone else would actually show up.


	23. Chapter 23

Stoffel trudged through the snow, and a truck that was driving far too fast splashed slushy ice water all over him.

“Typical,” he muttered to himself, and he thought about taking off his wet jacket, but he was already soaked to the bone.

He wished that he’d brought a waterproof, but it was too late now.

His only option for staying warm was to keep moving, and he hoped there was a place open at the university today, before he turned into an icicle.

Even if no-one else showed up, he just had to be there, to see for himself.


	24. Chapter 24

Kevin had managed to hitch a lift with a chatty security guard, heading home to his family after a long night shift, and he wondered what he would have done if he couldn’t charm people to help him out.

But, he had another problem.

The motorway was at a standstill around Bristol, and it didn’t look like it was going to be moving any time soon.

He said goodbye to his saviour, jogging for a nearby supermarket, and he saw a bike left outside, not even chained up.

“Sorry.”

Kevin cycled until his balls were frozen, but he made it.


	25. Chapter 25

Marcus sat sipping at his nice warm coffee, his breath hanging in the air as he took in the peace and quiet of the empty university, thinking about all the fun times that he’d had here.

Footsteps crunched in the snow, and Marcus looked up to see a familiar face.

“Jo?”

“Hi.” Jo’s nose was red, and he wasn’t dressed for the weather.

“Coffee?”

“I would love some.” Jo sat down next to him, cuddling in under his arm and stealing his body heat.

Sipping at the coffee, Jo took a moment to collect his thoughts, but in the end he could only say one thing.

“You actually came.”

“So did you.” Marcus smiled, and Jo bit at his lip, he knew where this conversation was going.

“Why?”

“I missed you, and I’m sorry that we lost touch.”

“Me too.” Jo rested his hand on Marcus’ and it was like they’d never been apart.

Feeling brave, Marcus leant in for a chaste kiss, warming Jo’s frozen lips.

“Do you know if Kevin or Stoffel are coming?”

“No, I lost touch with them too.”

Jo nodded, giving Marcus’ hand a squeeze.

A bicycle clattered against a metal railing, startling them both.

“Kevin?”

“You actually showed up?”

“Just wanted to see if you guys remembered.” Kevin flashed them his angelic grin, and Marcus patted his lap.

Kevin was dressed for the weather, and he draped himself over Marcus, giving them both a kiss on the cheek.

“You won’t believe what I had to do to get here.”

Jo snorted in laughter, as students Kevin had always had the wildest stories.

A figure approached, shaking from the cold.

“Stoffel?”

Jo rushed over to him.

“We need to get him somewhere warm.”

“I have a hotel room near here,” Marcus said.

“Lead the way.”


	26. Chapter 26

Stoffel looked human again, the warm water returning feeling to his fingers and toes, and he could hear worried voices in the room talking about him.

There was a knock on the door, and Stoffel made sure that the bubbles were covering up enough of him.

“Come in.”

“Here’s some dry clothes for you.” Marcus sat them down on the little shelf, as Kevin and Jo wandered in behind him, sitting on the floor.

“Thank you.” Stoffel rested his arm on the edge of the bath, and everyone reached out to comfort him.

“It’s good to see you all again.”


	27. Chapter 27

Stoffel was wrapped up in the fluffiest dressing gown, and Marcus had cranked the heating in the room up to maximum.

The bed was big enough for the four of them, just, and Stoffel was at the centre of the hugs.

“I still can’t believe you all came,” Jo said, cuddling in closer.

“I just wanted to see if you remembered.” Stoffel reached out to hold Jo’s hand, intertwining their fingers as Marcus let out a soft snore.

“Some things never change.” Kevin stroked Marcus’ hair, and he smiled in his sleep.

“He always could sleep anywhere.”

“Sleep sounds good.”


	28. Chapter 28

Kevin woke up to see Stoffel’s dressing gown hanging open and showing off his assets.

Jo reached over to cover him up, and Kevin pouted.

“Behave you.”

Kevin leant in for a kiss, Jo’s lips so soft against his own, and when he opened his eyes, Stoffel was awake.

“Where’s my kiss?” Stoffel stuck his tongue out, and Kevin took that as an invitation.

Marcus rolled over, his mouth hanging open as he watched the show.

Jo smiled, ducking down for a kiss as Stoffel nuzzled him for attention.

“Everyone happy with a day in bed?”

There were no arguments.


	29. Chapter 29

A day in bed had seen them all feeling better, and room service had been surprised by the sheer amount of food that they had ordered, most of which was for Marcus.

There was no shortage of cheesy movies on the tv, and they picked one that Marcus was stunt driver for, just so they could try and see him.

Kevin was draped over all three of his new boyfriends, grinning like he’d just won the lottery. Jo reached out for Marcus’ hand, intertwining their fingers, and everyone was making sure that there was as much skin contact as possible.


	30. Chapter 30

“Gifts!” Marcus shouted out, making everyone jump, and he rushed out of the bed, heading for his bag as he rummaged around.

He pulled out three small gifts, all wrapped in shiny blue paper with sparkling snowflakes on them.

“My gifts are still in the car,” Jo said, and both Kevin and Stoffel looked confused.

“I didn’t think to bring gifts.” Stoffel frowned, and Jo leant in for a tender kiss.

“You are the best gift I could think of.”

“Aww.” Kevin stuck his tongue out, and Jo gave him a playful nudge.

Marcus handed out his gifts, his smile shining out.

“These are all from films that I worked on, and I took the props because they reminded me of you.”

Kevin was first to tear off the wrapping paper, revealing a paintbrush, stained with pink, purple, blue.

Stoffel went next, and he revealed an old school calculator, that reminded Jo of one that his dad had kept from his university days.

Jo carefully picked off the tape, unfolding the paper as thought he was scared to damage it, and he gasped when he saw the pen.

It was a silver fountain pen, stylish and elegant.

“I love it.”


	31. Chapter 31

They had all gone to retrieve Jo’s car, and when Lance and Esteban saw them together they couldn’t stop smiling.

“Everyone showed up.” Jo introduced his new boyfriends, and everyone apart from Kevin was blushing.

“We’re so happy for you.” Esteban rushed in to hug Jo. “Come, have a cup of coffee and tell us everything.”

Lance made the drinks, as Esteban made sure everyone was comfy, and Jo knew he’d want all the gossip.

“So how did you all meet?”

“We were all at university together, and we shared a flat in first year.”

“I want to know everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's been reading and commenting! I really appreciate it <3

**Author's Note:**

> *and obviously none of this actually happened, it is all a figment of my twisted imagination ;)
> 
> If anyone has prompts they want written or is looking for writing inspiration - there's a motorsport prompt meme up and running both [here on ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/MotorsportPromptMeme/profile) and [on dreamwidth](https://motorsportpromptmeme.dreamwidth.org/)!


End file.
